Chapter Text
Even when he knew his brother was just a few rooms away, Emmet couldn't control the ever-present gnaw of anxiety.
There was nobody else in the lobby at this time of night. Ingo's appointment had gone over schedule, but Emmet didn't dare say anything about it. He only hoped that it was because Ingo was making good progress with the doctors. In the not-so-far distance, an above-ground subway rattled past. Its headlights illuminated the near-empty lobby in pillars of light and shadow, then it was gone in an instant.
Emmet picked at his gloves, pulling the fingers loose without removing the whole thing, then pulling it back on his hand again. His leg bounced in a staccato rhythm. Yes, Ingo must be making verrry good progress tonight to be with the doctors this late. That was the cheerful thought that Emmet clung onto in this otherwise lonely night.
At last, footsteps approached. Emmet stood up. Ingo raised a hand in greeting, but didn't smile. Not that he ever did, though. Under his arm was tucked a thick book.
“Hey, brother. Sorry to keep you waiting so long tonight.”
“It's totally fine! Yup! It must have been a good session then, huh?”
Ingo shrugged. “I don't know. I tried so hard to remember the past, I really did. But every time I came close to something familiar, it slipped away. Nobody wanted to give up without a breakthrough, but we had to call it a night.”
Emmet looked at his phone. It was almost 11 PM.
“The photos helped, though,” said Ingo, holding up the book. “I could tell. I think I'll bring the album with me again next visit.”
Emmet grinned a huge smile that he didn't completely feel. “That's great that it helped even a little! Keep trying! You'll have a breakthrough soon!”
They walked side by side down the empty hallway.
“They want me to come back as soon as possible, but I still need to finish my investigation of that blackout yesterday,” said Ingo.
Emmet stopped and folded his arms. “Oh no. No no no. This needs to be your priority, Ingo.”
“Yesterday was a catastrophe. I don't think the subway has ever been disrupted that badly, for that long, in our whole time as Subway Masters.”
“It might not have had anything to do with us. People have been reporting blackouts all over Nimbasa City the past few days,” said Emmet.
“Well, we can't be sure without a thorough investigation,” said Ingo. “Anyway, I'm surprised at you. The safety and comfort of our passengers is usually your first priority.”
“Of course it is. Always. But you need to prioritize yourself, too.”
Ingo didn't respond to that. The two of them descended the stairs to the nearest subway station and waited at the bench. The only doctors that could treat Ingo's very specific condition were in Castelia City, and while it wouldn't be too terribly long of a ride back up north to Nimbasa City, they were both exhausted. Ingo, once talkative in what felt like a lifetime ago now, was silent as they waited for the train. It arrived in a roar of wind and squealing brakes. They boarded.
Emmet watched the reflection of his brother in the subway window. Ingo was impassive, as usual. Lost in his own thoughts, he didn't notice Emmet staring.
Yes, there was definitely something different behind Ingo's eyes that never was there before. Even after the dark circles of exhaustion faded from his face, something else remained. Emmet had almost been afraid to put his finger on it, because naming it would make it more real, it seemed. But even his relentless cheerfulness didn't seem to leave a lasting effect on his brother. Now Emmet flipped through a catalog of emotions in his head, trying to find a feeling that stuck.
It was some kind of far-off wistfulness, like somebody who had grown used to solitude and still remained there, somehow.
Ingo caught his brother observing him and made eye contact through the reflection, offering the faintest half-smile, which Emmet returned with vigor. The subway bumped and rattled along as they sped out of Castelia City, heading back home.
***
The next morning, Emmet's alarm went off, and he jumped out of bed right on schedule. The sun had barely begun to rise over the tall skyline of Nimbasa City. He leaned his elbows over the railing of the loft, admiring the quietness of the morning. Their combined incomes as Subway Masters had afforded them a wonderfully spacious apartment with floor-to-ceiling windows on one side of the living room.
Emmet had spent many a night sitting on the carpet by those windows, waiting to see his brother walk up the sidewalk to their apartment lobby.
He knocked that thought out of his head and thundered down the stairs. Ingo's alarm was going off, too, but his snores were loud enough to drown out the ringing. Emmet burst into his room without bothering to knock.
“Hey lazy, do you want Oran berry pancakes or chocolate chip ones?”
Ingo groaned and rolled over to face the wall, then started snoring again.
“I'll be back,” said Emmet, pointing at the clock. He ran back upstairs and dressed in his uniform, minus his white trenchcoat, which was hanging next to Ingo's matching black one by the front door. He combed his hair back and set it with a little pomade, then zipped back downstairs to fix breakfast.
“Hmmm.” He went with the chocolate chips, because Ingo would like them more.
Breakfast was on the table, and Ingo's alarm was still ringing unheeded. This time Emmet kicked open the door, letting it slam against the wall. Ingo sat up like he had been shocked by a Joltik.
“Ingo! You're running off schedule!” said Emmet.
“How are you always this terrifying in the morning?” said Ingo.
Emmet seized his brother's ankles and started dragging him out from under his comforter. “No more derailments! Get your engine running!”
“Stop! Stop!” shouted Ingo. “I'm awake, get off!”
Ingo wriggled out of his brother's grip and rolled out of bed. He grabbed his hat off his bedpost and set it over his unbrushed hair.
“All right, little brother, let's get this day on track.”
They finished breakfast and caught the subway down to Gear Station. The route was familiar and comforting, even if Ingo couldn't completely remember all of the hundreds of rides he had taken along this line. The faces of his employees were faintly familiar, too, even though they felt like total strangers when they spoke to him. In fact, everyone was so nice that it almost made Ingo feel a bit that people were walking on eggshells when he was present. He didn't even know how many of them truly believed his tale of being spirited away into another time and place. Nobody had dared to ask him about it. He was a little relieved. It was nice to be back at the Station, and easy to pretend that nothing had ever changed.
He unlocked his office and sat down at his desk. Someone had left him a hefty stack of documents to read concerning the blackouts. He picked up a packet and started flipping through. Emmet was on train duty today. The office was in total silence. Hours ticked by. Lunch came and went, but he stayed at his desk, unwilling to break his train of concentration.
Ingo ran his hand through his hair, knocking his hat ajar. He sighed in aggravation. All of the paperwork scattered over his desk offered no explanation of what caused the power outage yesterday. Out of the corner of his eye he saw his answering machine blinking manically with unanswered messages. No doubt there was a wave of complaints to endure when he got around to answering his voicemail. He picked up his pen and continued writing his report. ...The emergency generators were able to restore service for about an hour after the inexplicable surge in voltage. However, as the generators can only offer limited functionality, hundreds of passengers experienced significant delays in their-
His concentration was shattered when two pieces of paper slid across the desk directly onto his report. They were small, rectangular, and bore colorful illustrations of a Pikachu and a Pichu smiling with an armful of balloons. Rondez-View tickets?
“Ta-daaa! After this is settled, we are going to have a verrrry fun afternoon together!”
Ingo looked up. Emmet was standing directly in front of his desk with his fists on his hips and his usual smile on his face.
“Emmet, you really couldn't have picked a worse time to plan something. There is no way we are going to get this taken care of today.”
“Oh! I never said today. The tickets are for this Saturday. It's only Tuesday. Plenty of time to get service back on track!”
Ingo folded his fingers together in thought. “Actually, I was thinking of coming in this Saturday to catch up on the work this incident displaced.”
“No!” The force of Emmet's voice made Ingo jump a little. It was unusual for his little brother to get loud. Ingo raised an eyebrow.
“Your doctors have been telling you to take it easy. To do things for yourself while you recover. Keeping busy at work is great. But remember to do something fun for yourself too,” said Emmet. He leaned forward and tapped the end of his brother's nose with his finger. “Boop!”
Being at work is fun, Ingo thought to himself, but the gleam in his brother's eye told him that arguing would be pointless.
Well, okay. Maybe it wasn't always fun, but it kept his mind from wandering off to strange places that he wasn't ready to revisit.
Like Hisui.
And there had certainly been no time for fun in Hisui, where life or death hinged on constant strength and ceaseless vigilance.
“...Ingo?”
“Okay, brother. We'll go on Saturday, but please don't complain if I stay late tonight to catch up on this. In fact, you should stop horsing around and get back to your duty as well.”
Emmet grinned. “Wonderful! Wonderful! I'll get back to work immediately. I'm verrrry glad to have convinced you.”
Ingo was already back to scratching out his report.
***
Saturday arrived, and Emmet was grateful. Even though they didn't have to be at work, they dressed in their usual clothing and left for the Nimbasa City Amusement Park. It certainly wasn't the flashiest amusement park in the world, only consisting of one long street of twenty-year-old attractions with a courtyard directly across from the city's beloved Rondez-View. Still, Emmet hoped it would shake loose some memories of days spent visiting Elesa at her gym and nights spent at their favorite hole-in-the-wall cafe, open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. A perfect rendezvous spot for those shifts that let off in odd hours of the morning.
At the cafe, they took a seat at their favorite booth by the window. It provided an excellent view of the foot traffic passing by on the street beside them. Sometimes they even recognized frequent passengers from the subway. In the near distance, the top of the Rondez-View peeked over the trees. The tabletop was heavy enough that Emmet could bounce his leg to his heart's content without ever rattling his coffee cup. He watched his brother play with the straw in his drink as he gazed out the window. Ingo bore that wistful look again- the look that Emmet had come to dread.
“Brother, do you remember?” Emmet said, pulling Ingo's attention back to him. “We used to come here all the time.”
“Hmmm.” Ingo pulled the straw out of his triple caramel frappe-whatever and licked the whipped cream off it, lost in thought. “I remember... that one time Elesa called us a little past midnight. I think she'd had a bad date or something. Anyways, when we got here I hardly recognized her because she had mascara all down her face. I think we stayed out until three in the morning that night. But by the time we all left, Elesa was smiling again.”
Emmet laughed. “I'm sure Elesa wouldn't be thrilled that you remember her like that!”
She definitely wouldn't be thrilled that Ingo just recounted that memory loudly enough for all the neighboring tables to hear.
“Well, I can't exactly pick what I remember and when, Emmet.”
Emmet smiled anxiously and bit his lip. Ingo noticed and frowned even more deeply. “I'm terribly sorry, Emmet, I didn't mean to snap.”
Emmet threw his hands up. “It's fine. I toootally get it.”
There was a moment of awkward silence.
Ingo stuck his fork out and stole half the Roseli berry muffin off Emmet's plate. “Big brother tax,” he said.
“That's not nice,” said Emmet.
“Bet you missed not having to share anything for a year.” Ingo paused and took a bite. “Just to clarify, that was a joke. Ugh, I forgot how much I hate the texture of this berry. They didn't grow in Hisui.”
“I can't believe you'd steal my food and then have the gall to complain about it,” said Emmet. A thought came into his head. Maybe it was a risky one to verbalize, but Emmet couldn't ignore it.
“Ingo. Why is you memory of home so damaged. Yet your memory of Hisui is perfectly intact?”
Ingo thought for a while as he scraped the Roseli berries off to the side of his plate.
“I suppose you'd have to ask Akari about it. She has a better understanding of how all of that works. She is the one who brought me home, after all.”
“Akari? Oh, Dawn,” said Emmet. “Yes. I'd love to meet her someday. I owe her a verrry big thanks.”
Ingo stroked his goatee with his thumb as he launched into a monologue about the theory of the impact of time-space on the human psyche that Emmet only understood about half of. He didn't mind. It truly was wonderful to hear Ingo's voice again.
The lights in the cafe flickered on and off, then the power went completely out. Again.
“Seriously?” said Ingo. “We just reset the backup generators!” He pulled his phone out of his pocket to call the station. The volume level in the cafe had raised as the other patrons talked and laughed nervously about the outage. Ingo stood up abruptly and walked outside, leaving his drink behind. Emmet threw down some money on the table and followed him out.
Ingo stood on the curb, grumbling loudly to himself. As Emmet approached, he showed him the phone screen. “Look at this! No service inside or outside. What gives this week?”
Emmet pulled out his phone. It didn't have cell service, either.
“We should head back to the Station, big bro,” said Emmet, defeated. He hated the thought of cutting their day short, but this was going to be a catastrophe for the underground. Important safety protocols needed to be executed.
As they walked, Emmet sent a text to Elesa, even though he knew it wouldn't go through. Judging by the amount of people standing around on the sidewalk holding their phones in the air, other people were having the same connection issue. They jumped out of Emmet's path as he marched down the sidewalk in his usual manner. One group didn't move fast enough and Emmet slammed into them before he could slow down. He spun sideways and scuffed the knee of his white pants on the pavement.
“Our apologies, ma'am! Emmet, are you okay?” shouted Ingo, helping his brother back up. Emmet dusted the grit off his knee.
The group of people hardly seemed to notice. Their attention was fixed on the Rondez-View. Some of them were pointing; others were filming something on their phones. Emmet and Ingo followed their gaze to one of the cars. Hanging from it were many, many feet of thick, ropy black wires, bound together periodically with plastic zip-ties. A few ends of frizzy, exposed copper wire dangled down, waving in the breeze and crackling with visible electricity.
“That looks incredibly dangerous!” said Ingo.
“Do you think a Pokemon did that?” Emmet said.
The wires continued waving in the breeze. Then they started swinging back and forth with increasing intensity.
Then one long rope of wires swung completely upward and gripped the side of the Rondez-View car with the force of a vice. The painted metal buckled under its grasp like tissue. Another rope of wires clutched at the spokes of the wheel. Electricity crackled all along its body- yes, its tendrils definitely moved the way a body would- and coagulated into a blinding white spark at the top, a head that crackled and sparkled. A high-pitched, static-y whine filled the air and quickly crescendoed into a roar.
“I... think that is a Pokemon!” Ingo said.
The monster clambered to the top of the Rondez-View with the speed of a Galvantula. The people around Ingo and Emmet were beginning to panic now. Streetlamps and neon signs were flashing on and off without control. More and more bystanders were sprinting away to safety, colliding with each other.
“If people keep running like this, there's gonna be a stampede,” said Emmet.
“I know. We've got to do something!” said Ingo. He stood on a nearby bench and pulled his whistle out of his shirt, blowing two sharp peals that got the attention of everyone in the vicinity. Then he took a deep breath. Emmet stuffed his fingers in his ears in anticipation.
“I need everybody to stay calm and proceed to the nearest point of exit in an orderly manner, please, for your own safety,” Ingo shouted, his voice projecting from one end of the street to the other. He pointed to the far end of the street that led out of the park and into the heart of Nimbasa City. “Please pay attention to what I am asking you to do to avoid injuring yourself or others.” He pointed at Emmet, who jumped in and started guiding foot traffic with his arms.
“Follow the rules. Everybody stay calm! Everything is under control. Everybody smile! Continue to proceed out calmly,” said Emmet. People seemed to be listening. Though fear and confusion were evident in their faces, nobody broke from the crowd.
“Are there still people on the Rondez-View?” he asked a lady passing by.
“Goodness, no. They didn't let anybody on today,” she said.
Ingo caught up with his brother. “Excellent guidance, Emmet. It looks like the street cleared out. I don't even think anybody stayed inside the buildings.”
“Hey!” called a familiar voice behind them. Ingo and Emmet turned. Running down the street in their direction was Elesa. Six feet tall naturally and even taller in the killer heels she wore, Elesa looked like she was ready to fight the beast hand-to-hand. “What are you two doing here?”
“This was supposed to be our day off,” said Ingo.
“Well, I came to handle this on my own, but I'm glad you two are here. Thanks for keeping everyone safe. Now, do you have any idea what that thing is?”
“I've never seen a Pokemon like that in my life,” said Emmet.
They watched as it suddenly crawled from the top of the Rondez-View to the ground, leaving twisted metal in its wake. It disappearing behind a building, but they could still hear its alien cries.
“Okay, we can't let that get past us to the rest of the city,” said Elesa. “Emmet, you run down to that open courtyard and lure it there. That'll give Ingo and I plenty of space to run up from behind and pummel it while it's facing you!”
“An excellent combination!” said Emmet, running off to get in place.
“Okay, Ingo, let's go up the street a little toward Nimbasa so it can't see us before it sees your brother,” Elesa said.
Ingo's phone started ringing at max volume in his back pocket. “Looks like service is back,” he said. “I bet it's the Station calling.”
“Shut it off, shut it off! It needs to hear Emmet, not us,” said Elesa.
Ingo hung up on the call and moved to put his phone away, then had a thought. He dialed someone and held the phone to his ear.
“Are you seriously making a call right now?” said Elesa.
“I have to call someone who might know what this is before the service goes out again,” said Ingo, plugging his free ear with his finger.
***
Dawn was in her mother's kitchen stirring a glass of chocolate milk when her arcphone rang. When she saw the name on the screen, she answered immediately.
“Hi, Uncle!”
“Akari!” shouted Ingo on the other end. Dawn winced and held the phone away from her ear. “What kind of Pokemon is twelve feet tall and made of electrical wires?!”
“Is that a joke?” asked Dawn, walking out of the kitchen with her glass. “Because I've never heard of a Pokemon like that before.”
The sound of crashing and a distant shout drifted over the speaker. “Are you having a Pokemon battle, Uncle?”
“Sort of. Akari, I need you to turn on the television and flip to the news. Just keep flipping through the channels until you see it.”
“Uhhh... okay,” said Dawn. She picked up the remote off her coffee table and changed the channel on her mom's show, bouncing between news channels. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
“Hey!” said Dawn's mom in protest.
There was more crashing and roaring over the phone, and the sound of metal tearing. “Uncle Ingo? Is something wrong?”
She changed the channel again, this time landing halfway through a broadcast. Over shaky amateur footage of the Rondez-View, a newscaster offered narration. “...which is currently rampaging through the entertainment district of Nimbasa City. The creature in the footage has yet to be identified and is thought to be the cause of the multitude of blackouts plaguing the city...”
“Mercy! What is that thing?” said Dawn's mother, clapping a hand over her mouth as the beast on TV rained sparks of electricity from its limbs.
“Okay, now I'm looking at whatever it is you're looking at,” said Dawn, “and I sure hope you aren't fighting it alone!”
***
Ingo ran down the street and hid in the alley between two buildings as the beast roared and crackled with static. “Of course I'm not alone. I have Emmet and my Pokemon here with me,” he said into the phone. “We evacuated the vicinity and now we're trying to lead it away from any buildings.”
“That still sounds really dangerous! And kind of exciting. I wish I were there,” came Dawn's voice over the line, barely perceptible over the din.
***
Emmet's feet hurt from running so hard. His work shoes weren't made for this level of action, but he continued regardless. Once he was far enough into the open courtyard, he halted and turned. He pulled his whistle out of his shirt and blew a series of loud peals. The beast continued up the street away from him, paying him no mind. Emmet pulled a Pokeball from his coat.
“Go, Excadrill! Use Rock Slide!”
Excadrill burst out of its Pokeball and complied, using its power to hurl a stream of boulders across the courtyard. They struck the creature and knocked it off its feet, trapping it beneath rock.
“Excellent! Now finish it off with Earthquake!”
Excadrill leapt into the air and slammed onto the pavement, sending the wave directly at the buried creature. The spark that made up its head winked out for a moment, then re-appeared brighter than ever as the creature began to stand up and shake rocks off its body.
“Excadrill! Get ready for it to come at us!” said Emmet. Excadrill roared in response. But the creature didn't charge them. It didn't even turn around. Running on all fours again, it sprinted up the street where Ingo was waiting.
“What? No way!” said Emmet, recalling Excadrill back into its ball and sprinting after the beast.
***
Up the street, Ingo's frown deepened as he watched the creature break free from Emmet's ambush.
“Akari. I have to go. Something isn't right.”
“Okay! Wish I could tell you what that thing is. But I guess you can tell me about it when I get there. Try to catch it for me!”
“You're coming to help?!” shouted Ingo with excitement.
“...Uncle. Did you forget that I live in a different country? It's going to take me at least a day of traveling before I'm even in Flying distance. I'll have to catch up with you after the action. ”
“Oh, right. Ok, I'll try to-”
A wave of electricity traveled up the pavement. Ingo gasped in pain and dropped his phone. Elesa came running out from her hiding spot across the street.
“Emmet couldn't lure it away. Take out your Pokemon! We have to meet it head on!” she said.
“Right! All aboard, Haxorus!”
“Do your best! Zebstrika!” Elesa flung her Pokeball. “My team isn't the best to fight back against electricity, though!”
“I'll keep you safe. Haxorus, use Earthquake!”
Haxorus cried out and began slamming its tail onto the pavement in a ceaseless rhythm. The barrage slowed the beast down, but it didn't stop running. Watching the towering beast approach, Ingo felt as if he were staring down an Alpha Pokemon once again.
“Zebstrika! Use Flame Charge!”
Zebstrika charged forward, slamming its flaming body into the advancing beast. It collapsed, then began to gather itself back up on wobbly limbs. Zebstrika galloped back to her side.
“It just won't stop!” said Elesa in awe.
Ingo dug around in the pocket of his coat. He had three spare Ultra Balls on him, but certainly not enough to catch something as powerful as this. Still, he promised that he would try. He flung the balls, but the creature whipped them all away with its plug-tail effortlessly.
“Okay, so we can't catch it, and we can barely fight it,” said Elesa, clearly panicking. “Now what do we do?”
Ingo recalled being back on the Coronet Highlands, the wind beating snow into his eyes as an Alpha Electivire bore down on his team. “We have to keep going until we can't get back up anymore.”
Emmet was finally closing the distance between himself and the others. He was out of breath, but he pointed up the street at Elesa and waved.
“The three of us need to attack at the same time,” commanded Ingo. “We have to overwhelm it!”
Excadrill used Rock Slide from behind. Zebstrika leapt into the air, flaming and sparking once more. Haxorus continued the war-drum beat of Earthquake. But something strange was beginning to happen. The air around the creature warped and changed like water, reflecting in strange colors. As their Pokemon landed their blows, there was a thunderclap and a flash of blinding white light that sent the trio to their knees. Ingo could hear himself yelling. He kept his hands over his eyes until it didn't cause him splitting pain to open them in the daylight. A small crater was smoldering in the street.
And the creature was nowhere to be seen.
The force of the thunderclap had knocked Ingo's hat off his head. He picked it back up and ran to Emmet's side. His brother was still on his knees, rubbing his own eyes and groaning.
“Emmet! Are you okay? Did you see where it went?”
Within moments, Elesa was by their side again, gasping for breath. “Guys! It's gone! It's just vanished!”
They looked back at the crater in the street. Zebstrika snorted and bucked, furious that its prey had disappeared before its eyes. Emmet gave up trying to stand and collapsed onto his back.
“That thing. It could have killed us if it kept going,” he wheezed.
“But things that size just don't disappear like that!” Elesa said, more to herself that anything. She clutched at her head in distress. “It can't just vanish into thin air like an Abra! It was twelve feet tall!”
Ingo ran up and down the street, looking for the beast hidden in an alley or an alcove. Save for the smoke rising from the pavement, it was truly gone.
The air was finally silent and calm, and it felt heavy with the weight of the trio's fear. Ingo and Emmet found a clean stretch of curb and sat on it, still feeling the buzz of residual electricity in their teeth. They stayed there even as paramedics rushed in, followed by police officers, then zealous news reporters. Emmet waved them away if they approached.
“We're fine. Just tired. Please don't endanger yourselves for us,” he said. “It could come back.”
Minutes turned to hours as they sat on the curb, recounting what they had witnessed to a ceaseless stream of investigators, over and over for each bureaucratic newcomer. Someone handed them bottles of water. Ingo was on the phone shouting about who-knows-what with some Station employee. Emmet was to tired to eavesdrop. Daylight turned golden, then dusky.
The beast didn't return.
Eventually, city officials firmly implied that it was time for Ingo and Emmet to return home. Some government higher-up wanted the crater in the street to be fixed overnight. As they left, they passed Elesa's Gym. She was standing outside it with a small crowd, trying to coordinate some kind of clean-up. She stuck her hand out to get the brothers' attention as they passed.
“You two be safe tonight, okay? I think that thing was why the power had been going on and off. It must be teleporting all over the place to be doing this kind of extensive havoc. I don't know what we're going to do if it comes back.”
“You have our numbers if you need anything. Keep smiling,” said Emmet.
“Thank you. I can always rely on you guys. And Ingo-” she threw her arms around his neck. “It's so, so good to fight alongside you again. Really, it's such a relief to have you back.”
“I'm glad to be back, too. Despite everything, you and Emmet make me feel normal again,” said Ingo, returning the hug.
***
When they returned home, the power was still out. They lit some candles around the loft. The buildings in the parts of the city that still had power offered some faint night-life light through the tall windows. Chandelure emitted a cool purple glow from its body, drifting freely in the open air. Emmet surveyed his hat.
“That thing knocked it right off my head, and it's all scuffed up now. And there's a hole in the knee of my pants.”
“It was your idea to wear white all the time,” said Ingo. “Black is more efficient in so many ways.”
“You just like wearing black so nobody can see when you spill coffee on yourself, Ingo.”
There was a knock at the door. Ingo and Emmet looked at each other, puzzled. No one had buzzed from the lobby to be let in.
“The neighbors?” said Ingo. Emmet got up and answered the door.
A woman in a nicely tailored suit and a man in a trench coat stood in the hall. The man tipped his hat at Emmet.
“It's good to see you again, Mr. Ingo, despite the circumstances,” he said.
“I am Emmet,” said Emmet. “Who are you. How do you know my brother?”
“My apologies, Mr. Emmet. It's very difficult to tell you apart,” said the man. Ingo appeared over Emmet's shoulder.
“Looker! What are you doing here tonight?” Ingo said. Emmet didn't move to let them in, so Ingo guided him to the side by his elbow. The two strangers marched right in.
“I'm terribly sorry for the unexpected visit, but Anabel and I have serious matters to discuss with you right now,” said the one called Looker. The three of them sat down at the dinner table. Emmet joined them, but nobody seemed to notice. The woman named Anabel opened a briefcase and started taking out folders full of documents.
“I'm going to get right into it. I may be partially responsible for the incident in Nimbasa City today,” Looker said.
“Did you bring that Pokemon here?!” said Ingo.
“No. I fear you may have, though. And I could have stopped it from even happening, if not for my sentimental foolishness.”
Stunned, Ingo shook his head. “But I didn't bring any Pokemon back from Hisui. And nothing came back through with Akari and I.”
“Here, let us explain,” said Anabel, handing Ingo a folder of papers. Emmet craned his neck to see. It has UB-03 Lightning typed up at the top in red letters. As Ingo flipped through the file, a photo fell out.
“Hey! That's exactly what we fought today,” he said.
“And right before you struck the final blow, it retreated?” said Looker.
“Yes. How did you know?”
“All Ultra Beasts act in a pattern that we have begun to document,” said Anabel. “These things come from dimensions beyond our perception. Once they slip through, they are often drawn to the residual energy of people who have also fallen through dimensions.”
“I really,” said Emmet, “reeeeally do not like where this conversation is heading.”
Looker continued where Anabel left off. “Once an Ultra Beast is here, they're essentially trapped. They don't belong in our world. They want to return home, but they can't on their own. So they rampage toward whatever kind of dimensional energy they can sniff out in a frenzy to go back where they came from.”
Ingo had his fingers folded in front of his face. The candlelight made his eyes gleam intently. “I understand completely,” he said. “They just want to go home.”
“Now, here is where I must admit some fault. I didn't bring this up when I met with you in the hospital a little over month ago because you had already been through so much. Both of you,” said Looker, nodding at Emmet as well. “And we have never seen an Ultra Beast appear outside of Alola before. Certainly one has never appeared before a Faller so quickly. I didn't have the heart to upset your reunion. Now my inability to make haste has caused this situation. We're just lucky nobody died or was seriously injured by UB-03 this morning.”
“What do I have to do?” said Ingo.
“You have to come with us immediately,” said Anabel.
Emmet stood up so fast that his chair toppled over. He pointed at the two Interpol agents. “You are going to find a way to fix this without taking my brother away.”
“Ultra Beasts are going to hunt down Mr. Ingo no matter what we do. It's not safe for him to stay in Nimbasa City anymore,” said Anabel. “Believe me, we understand how you must be feeling right now.”
“No you don't,” scoffed Emmet.
“Emmet, stop,” said Ingo, tugging on Emmet's pajama sleeve.
“Mr. Emmet. Everyone in this room except for you is a Faller,” said Looker. “We have all been in Mr. Ingo's shoes at some point.”
“Not in mine, though.”
“Emmet!”
“We know this is a difficult reality to accept, so we are extending the invitation to you, too, Mr. Emmet,” said Anabel. “You're a formidable trainer and we could utilize your talents to help your brother. Someday we will figure out how to stop Ultra Beasts from coming to our world for good. But for now, you will both have to leave Nimbasa City.”
Emmet pulled his chair back up and sat down again. He put his face in his hands. His leg was bouncing so hard that it was making the floor rattle.
“Who's going to take care of Gear Station in our absence?” asked Ingo.
“We can find suitable temporary replacements until you are able to take your duties as Subway Masters back up. We are not going to let either of you lose your jobs. And we are confident that we will get to the bottom of this, and that you two will be able to return to normal someday.”
“Do we have to leave right now?” Ingo said.
“No. We can give you some time to sleep and pack some things. Miss Dawn called me earlier today. She is on her way and will arrive here in the morning, which saves us the trouble of having to go pick her up. We need her too. We will collect the three of you shortly after,” said Looker. “We haven't detected any more activity from UB-03 as of yet. We have a plan to force it to appear in a safe, remote location. But, we'll elaborate in the morning. Please get some rest.”
The Interpol agents stood and shook hands with Ingo. They offered their hands to Emmet, who remained seated and silent. Emmet's throat was so tight that he couldn't speak if he had wanted to.
“He's okay,” said Ingo, rubbing Emmet's shoulder. “Goodnight, Looker. Goodnight, Anabel.”
Emmet stood in a haze as Ingo saw the guests out. When his brother returned, he embraced Emmet very gently.
“I know this has been a strange and difficult year. I know we wanted to pick up where our lives derailed and continue just as scheduled. I wanted that more than anything. And I am so, so sorry, Emmet, for everything. I truly am.”
Emmet felt warm tears on his shoulder. The unfairness of it made his head spin. You don't have anything to be sorry for, Ingo! He wanted to say. None of this is any of your fault. Please don't cry!
No words would come out, though, so he just held his brother back. He felt tears leaking out of his own eyes.
“And I promise, Emmet, that this time, no matter what, nothing is going to drag us apart. Not ever again.”
Of course not. Because if anything tries, this time they will have me to answer to!
After that, Emmet found himself in his own bed, hardly cognizant of having walked up the loft stairs. He could already hear Ingo snoring in his bedroom below. Good to know his brother was able to catch some sleep, at least. Emmet was sure hours ticked by as he stared at the ceiling. Thoughts rattled through his mind on tracks he didn't like. He knew as soon as he closed his eyes, he would wake up in a future that lacked any kind of familiar protocol.
Sleep had a verrrry hard time finding Emmet that night.